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Will Kamal Nath, son Nakul participate in Nyay Yatra amid BJP switchover buzz? Congress leader replies
Jitendra Singh claimed that the speculations of former MP chief minister switching sides and joining BJP were spread by the BJP and media.
Amid the buzz of former Madhya Pradesh chief minister and senior Congress leader Kamal Nath's BJP switch plan, Congress general secretary Jitendra Singh on Monday claimed that the veteran leader and his son Nakul Nath would participate in the grand old party's ongoing Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra when it enters the state.
He also claimed that the speculations of former MP chief minister switching sides and joining BJP were spread by the BJP and media.
Read here: After Kamal Nath buzz, now speculation that Manish Tewari may leave Congress for BJP
"Kamal Nath is a senior leader of our party. All these speculations have been made by the BJP and media. I spoke to him yesterday also, the day before yesterday also and we discussed about Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra...Kamal Nath will participate in the Yatra in Madhya Pradesh. He (Nakul Nath) is an MP of our party and he will also participate," he said to news agency ANI.
There has been a buzz among the political corridors of Congress veteran Nath along with his son ending his over four-decade ties with the grand old party and joining the saffron camp. Nath has remained tightlipped about his next future moves, while his aide Sajjan Singh Verma has denied reports of a crossover to the BJP.
Verma said that he met Kamal Nath on Sunday. He claimed Nath is currently focussed on how the caste equations persist in the 29 Lok Sabha seats in Madhya Pradesh, for the upcoming parliamentary polls.
On the other hand, Kamal Nath's loyalist and former state minister Deepak Saxena accused the Congress of neglecting and blaming him for the party's performance in the recently held state elections.
"Kamal Nath has been neglected since (2023 Assembly) elections. No one would have thought that Bhupesh Baghel would lose. We lost in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan where we didn't think we would lose. But why is only Kamal Nath being blamed for it," he said.
Read here: Is Kamal Nath leaving? Loyalist reveals what Congress leader told him
Kamal Nath today reacted to reports that he has been in touch with the BJP.
"I said yesterday that if there is something like that, I will inform you all. I did not talk to anyone," he said.
As per reports, Nath is said to be disgruntled over not getting a Rajya Sabha seat and also Rahul Gandhi being opposed to him since the party lost the assembly polls late last year. He had represented the constituency nine times in the Lok Sabha.
In the 2023 Madhya Pradesh elections, the BJP decimated the Congress after winning 163 of the 230 assembly seats. The Congress managed to win just 66 seats. Nath was later replaced as the Madhya Pradesh unit chief.
The speculation of Nath's exit from Congress comes days after Milind Deora and Ashok Chavan quit the the party.
With inputs from PTI, ANI
